Apparatus for withdrawing beer from kegs



J. E. SICHLER 3,294,291

APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING BEER FROM KEGS Dec. 27, 1966 Filed Dec. 1,1964 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Oflfice 3,294,291 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 JerseyFiled Dec. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 415,064 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-4001) Thisinvention relates to apparatus for withdrawing beer from kegs. Itrelates more particularly to that type of apparatus in which a rod orother conduit extends through the top of the keg and down to the bottomso that beer is forced out through the conduit by gas pressure on thetop surface of the beer.

It is an object of the invention to provide the improved tappingequipment for beer kegs. In place of a rod that must be inserted intothe keg, this invention has a tube, preferably plastic, that ispermanently located in the keg and attached to a keg fitting to which acustomers fitting is easily connected outside of the keg.

Another object of the invention is to provide a beer keg with a fittingconnected to a tube that extends to the lower end of the keg, and with acheck valve in the fitting for preventing escape of beer but with meanson the customers fitting for automatically opening the check valve whenthe customers fitting is attached to the keg fitting.

Still another object is to provide improved keg tapping equipment, ofthe character indicated, with a check valve in a beer fitting forpreventing escape of beer and another check valve for preventing escapeof gas from the keg, but with means on a customers fitting forautomatically opening the check valves when the customer fitting isattached to the keg fitting and gas pressure applied.

Features of the invention relate to a construction that is economical tomanufacture and assemble; and that can be installed in standard beerkegs with only a minimum of adaptation of the keg to accommodate theinvention.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will appear orbe pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

FIGURE 1 is a view showing a beer keg to which the invention isconnected;

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of theassembly shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 1 shows a keg with a top wall 12 and a bottom wall 14. The keg 10has a hung opening 16 which provides access to the interior of the kegfor washing. This bung opening 16 is plugged when the keg is in use, inaccordance with conventional practice. There is a keg fitting 20extending through an opening in the top wall 12.

This keg fitting 20 will be described in connection with FIGURE 2. Atits inner end it connects with a flexible tube or conduit 22 thatextends all the way to the bottom of the keg. In the preferredconstruction, the conduit 22 is slightly longer than the distance fromthe fitting 20 to the bottom wall 14 so that the tube or conduit 22 isarched to one side to be clear of filling tubes that are insertedthrough the bung opening 16 for filling the keg. The flexible tube orconduit 22 is permanently located in the position shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 2 shows the actual construction of the preferred embodiment ofthe keg fitting 20. It includes a body portion 26 having a flange 28 atits lower end. The fitting 20 extends through an opening 30 in the topwall 12; and the flange 28 is larger than the opening 30 so as to limitupward movement of the fitting 20.

The upper part of the body portion 26, above the end of the opening 30,has threads 32; and a nut 34 screws over these threads 32 and contactswith the top wall 12 around the upper edge of a lip 31 through which theopening 30 extends.

There are spanner wrench holes 35 in the top of the nut 34 for receivinga spanner wrench to screw the nut 34 up or down on the threads 32. Whenthe nut 34 is screwed down as far as possible, it pulls the flange 28 upagainst the inside of the wall 12 to clamp the keg fitting 20 to theWall 12. A set screw 36 threads through an opening in the nut '34 andabuts against the top wall 12 of the keg 10. The portion of the setscrew 36 which ex tends below the nut 34 is located adjacent to anabutment 37 on the outside of the lip 31, as shown in FIGURE 4. Sincethe abutment 37 is an integral part of the keg, this correlationprevents the nut from coming unscrewed. In order to make the connectiongas-tight and liquid-tight, there is a plastic washer 40 interposedbetween the flange 28 and the surface of the wall 12. This washer 40 iscompressible and thus makes it possible to bring the nut 34 into aposition where the set screw 36 can be located adjacent to one of theabutments 37.

In the preferred construction, the tube or conduit 22 is of such alength that it extends to the flange 28 at the upper end of the sleeve44 when the lower end of the conduit 22 is in contact with the bottomwall 14 and arched to provide clearance for filling tubes, as shown inFIG- URE 1.

In order to prevent escape of beer or gas from the keg 10 when the kegis in transit, and when it is not connected with a beer distributionline, there is a check valve unit 48 in an opening 50 which extendsthrough the body portion 26 in alignment with the opening through thesleeve 44.

This check valve unit 48 includes a seat 52 which fits into the sleeve44 or the opening 50 with a press fit. A valve element 54 moves upwardinto contact with the seat 52 to shut off any flow of beer from thesleeve 44 through the opening 50. The valve element 54 has a stern 5-6secured to a spider 58 which slides freely in the opening 50, and whichis urged upward by a helical compression spring 66 confined between theupper end of the seat 52 and a shoulder near the upper end of the spider58.

The fitting 20 has another opening 64 spaced radially outward from theopening 50 and extending through the body portion 26 and flange 28. Anoffset counterbore 66, at the lower end of the opening 64, holds anothercheck valve unit 68 which is similar to the check valve unit '48 andwhich is held in a sleeve 70 anchored at its upper end in thecounterbore 66. Parts of the check valve unit 68 which correspond to theparts of the check valve unit 48 are indicated by the same referencecharacters with a prime appended.

The check valve unit 68 is located above the level of the beer most ofthe time, and it prevents the escape of beer or gas from the keg 10. Itsvalve element 54 moves upward to close against a seat 52 and isordinarily held in contact with this seat by a spring 60'. Both of thevalve elements 54 and 54 have an O-ring 55 and 55' providing the actualcontact area of the respective valve elements with their seats.

The keg fitting 20 is used with a customers fitting 76 comprising a cap7-8 which screws over threads 80 on the outside of the nut 34. The cap78 has upwardly and radially etxending handles 82 by which it can berotated to attach it to the nut 80 on a new keg, or to remove it fromthe corresponding nut on an empty keg, without requiring the use of awrench.

The customers fitting 76 also includes a housing 84 which has a flange86 located in the cap 78 under a shoulder 88, of the cap. As the cap 78is screwed down 3 on the nut 34, the shoulder 88 pulls the housing 84against the top of the nut 34 and clamps the housing against the nut 34with a plastic washer 90 between the confronting faces of the nut 34 andhousing 84.

An extension 92 at the lower end of the housing 84, and beyond thewasher 90, extends into the opening 50 of the keg fiting 20 when thecustomers fitting 76 is brought into position for connection with thekeg fitting. The lower end of the extension 92 contacts with the spider58, and as the cap 78 is screwed down over the nut 34, the extension 92pushes the spider 58 down, against the force of the spring 60, and movesthe valve 54 away from the seat 52 so that beer can flow from the keg.

There is an O-ring 96 in a circumferential groove of the extension 92and this O-ring seals the assembly against escape of beer between theextension 92 and the wall of the opening 50 while the cap 78 is beingscrewed down on the nut 34.

When the cap 78 has been screwed down all the way on the nut 34, thewasher 90 is tightly clamped between the confronting faces of the nut 34and housing 84, as previously explained; and this provides an additionalseal against leakage.

There is a passage 98 opening through the housing 84 for the flow ofbeer from the keg. A conventional shutoff valve 100 is attached to thehousing 84, in alignment with the passage 98, by threads 102 at theupper end of the housing 84. The upper end of the shut-off valve 100 hasthreads 104 for connecting the valve with a beer delivery line 106(FIGURE 1).

Referring again to FIGURE 2, there is a passage 110 in the housing 84for the flow of gas. A tube connector fitting 112 is threaded into asocket at the upper end of the passage 1 for connection with a gaspressure supply line 116. There is a hole 120 through the washer 90 forcommunication of the passage 110 in the customers fitting with thepassage 64 in the keg fitting. Since the hole 120 may not be inalignment with the passage 110, and the passages 64 and 110 are seldomin alignment with one another, circular grooves 126 and 127 are providedin the confronting faces of the nut 34 and housing 84 at the same radialdistance from the axes of the fitting and 76 and in position always toprovide for flow of gas through the hole 120 regardless of the phaseangle of the washer 90 around the axes of these fittings 20 and 76.

From the above description, it will be apparent that the check valveunits 48 and 68 prevent escape of beer and gas from the keg '10 wheneverthe keg is disconnected from a customers fittings. The extension 52 onthe customers fitting 76 moves the valve element 54 into open positionand provides for free flow of beer around the open valve element 54 andaround the perimeter of the spider 58 whenever the customers fitting 76is attached to the keg 10. Gas pressure for forcing beer from the keg 10can always be supplied through the pressure supply line 116 and checkvalve unit 68 to maintain the necessary pressure above the beer in thekeg as the level of the beer drops.

It will also be evident that the customers fitting 76 can bedisconnected from the keg 10, even though the keg is not yet empty. Asthe housing 84 of the customers fitting is moved upward, the extension92 rises and permits the check valve 54 to close while the O-ring isstill in the opening 50 and prevents escape of beer between the outsideof the extension 92 and the wall of the opening 50. This is an advantagewith portable beer dispensing equipment where an entire keg may not beemptied before the assembly is dismantled and sent back to adistributing center.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, but changes and modifications can be made and some featurescan be used in different combinations without departing from theinvention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a beer keg having a wall with an opening therein, a kegfitting in said opening and having a centrally located beer passageopening therethrough and a check valve within the beer passage forpreventing escape of beer,a customers fitting with a sleeve extensionthat telescopes into the upper portion of the beer passage when thecustomers fitting is assembled in working relation with the keg fitting,a compressed gas passage through the keg fitting and through thecustomers fitting, the compressed gas passage opening through theconfronting faces of the customers fitting and the keg fitting atsubstantially the same distance from the axis of the beer passagesthrough both fittings, an annular groove in at least one of saidconfronting faces, the center of curvature of the groove beingconcentric with the axis of the beer passages in the fittings and saidgroove having a radius of curvature substantially equal to the radialspacing of the gas passages from the axis of the beer passages wherebyboth of the beer passages are in line with some part of said annulargroove regardless of the phase angle of one fitting with the other whenbrought together in assembled relation.

2. The combination described in claim 1 characterized by similar annulargrooves in the confronting faces of both fittings, a sealing washerclamped between the confronting faces of the customers fitting and thekeg fitting, the washer having an opening through it communicating atits opposite ends with the annular grooves in said confronting faces ofthe different fittings.

3. The combination with a beer keg that has top and bottom end wallswith an opening through the top wall, a keg fitting including a bodyportion that extends through and upwardly beyond the opening in the topwall and that has means thereon for securing it to the keg, a tubeextending down from the keg fitting to the bottom of the keg, the kegfitting having a beer passage extending therethrough on a center axis ofthe fitting and downward to the tube, a check valve in the beer passage,a customers fitting having a beer passage with an extension that fitsinto the beer passage of the keg fitting and with an abutment foropening the check valve in the beer passage, a gas passage openingthrough the confronting faces of each of the keg and customers fittings,each of the gas passages being radially spaced but substantially thesame distance from the axis of the beer passage, a sealing washerbetween said confronting faces, said confronting faces touching theopposite faces of the washer when the fittings are in working relationto one another, at least one of the touching faces on one side of thewasher having an annular groove therein with a center of curvature onthe axis of the beer passage and a radius of curvature substantiallyequal to the radical spacing of the gas passage from said axis, and atleast one of the touching faces on the other side of the washer having asimilar annular groove, the washer having an opening therethrough,putting the annular groove on one side of the washer in communicationwith the annular groove on the other side of the washer, all whereby thegas passage in the customers fitting is in communication with the gaspassage in the keg fitting regardless of the phase angle of the fittingswith respect to one another when brought together in working relation.

4. For use with a beer keg that has top and bottom end walls with anopening through the top Wall, of a keg fitting including a body portionthat extends through and upwardly beyond the opening in the top wall andthat has a flange thereon in contact with an inside face of the topwall, a tube extending down from the keg fitting to the bottom of thekeg, a clamping element secured to the upwardly extending part of thebody portion and holding the flange clamped against the inside of thetop wall, the keg fitting having a beer passage extending therethroughon a center axis of the fitting and downward to the tube, a check valvein the beer passage, another passage for the flow of compressed gas intothe keg, a check valve in the other passage, means on the beer kegfitting and symmetrical about the axis of the beer passage forconnection with a customers fitting having a center probe thereon foropening the check valve in the beer passage when the customers fittingis connected with the fitting on the keg, and characterized by the beerpassage and the compressed gas passage both opening through a topsurface of the body portion of the keg fitting, said top surface havinga circular groove therein into which the upper end of the compressed gaspassage opens, the circular groove having its center substantially onsaid center axis of the fitting, and further characterized by acustomers fitting that has a bottom face which confronts the top face ofthe keg fitting, the customers fitting having a downward extension thattelescopes into the beer passage as a probe to open the check valve insaid beer passage, the customers fitting having a compressed gas passagetherein and a circular groove in the bottom face thereof and into whichthe lower end of the compressed gas passage opens, the circumferentialgroove in the bottom face of the customers fitting being ofsubstantially the same diameter as the circular groove in the kegfitting, and further characterized by a packing washer that is clampedbetween the bottom face of the customers fitting and the top face of thekeg fitting when the fittings are connected together in working relationto fitting, and having another opening radially spaced from thefirst-opening and in position to communicate at its opposite ends withthe grooves in the confronting faces of the customers fitting and thekeg fitting, and further characterized by the customers fitting having ashoulder thereon, and a nut with an inwardly extending flange thatengages behind the shoulder and that screws over threads on the outsideof the clamping element of the keg fitting, the customers fitting havinga beer passage therein and a compressed gas passage therein with meansat the upper ends of these passages for connection with delivery andsupply lines, and handles on the nut for turning it manually.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,176,215 3/1916Griffin 285-91 X 2,083,964 6/1937 Sohulz 222--464 X 2,790,572 4/1957Flaith et a1. 285130 X 2,926,689 3/1960 Berry 137-322 3,216,466 11/1965Simko 142-349 3,228,413 1/ 1966 Stevens 222-400.7 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 103,116 5/1899 Germany.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner.

one another, the packing washer having an opening there- N, L STACK,Assistant Examiner,

through for the downward extension of the customers

1. FOR USE WITH A BEER KEG HAVING A WALL WITH AN OPENING THEREIN, A KEGFITTING IN SAID OPENING AND HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED BEER PASSAGEOPENING THERETHROUGH AND A CHECK VALVE WITHIN THE BEER PASSAGE FORPREVENTING ESCAPE OF BEER, A CUSTOMERS FITTING WITH A SLEEVE EXTENSIONTHAT TELESCOPES INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BEER PASSAGE WHEN THECUSTOMERS FITTING IS ASSEMBLED IN WORKING RELATION WITH THE KEG FITTING,A COMPRESSED GAS PASSAGE THROUGH THE KEG FITTING AND THROUGH THECUSTOMERS FITTING, THE COMPRESSED GAS PASSAGE OPENING THROUGH THECONFRONTING FACES OF THE CUSTOMERS FITTING AND THE KEG FITTING ATSUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE AXIS OF THE BEER PASSAGESTHROUGH BOTH FITTINGS, AN ANNULAR GROOVE IN A LEAST ONE OF SAIDCONFRONTING FACES, THE CENTER OF CURVATURE OF THE GROOVE BEING CONCETRICWITH THE AXIS OF THE BEER PASSAGES IN THE FITTINGS AND SAID GROOVEHAVING A RADIUS OF CURVATURE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE RADIAL SPACINGOF THE GAS PASSAGES FROM THE AXIS OF THE BEER PASSAGES WHEREBY BOTH OFTHE BEER PASSAGES ARE IN LINE WITH SOME PART OF SAID ANNULAR GROOVEREGARDLESS OF THE PHASE ANGLE OF ONE FITTING WITH THE OTHER BROUGHTTOGETHER IN ASSEMBLED RELATION.